With a love like this, who needs another?
by Homestretch
Summary: Harry and Hermione finally realize what was between them and trouble ensues. CHAPTER 14 REVISED!!!!!!!
1. When Harry met Hermione :)

HPSTory1

Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling and such. The plot is mine as well as the actions of the characters(and I know some of them should have graduated but they didn't! so...)

Please R/R, no flames, just constructive criticism 

H/HR

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Chapter 1: The Confession

The sun shone brightly through the small window, cascading across the circular room and engulfing five beds with its warm glow.

There was a stirring in one of the beds and Hermione's head slowly emerged from under the covers. She looked like she was just waking from a drug-induced sleep, her hair matted on one side while the other side stuck out at odd angles. She had dark circles under her eyes, which she sleepily rubbed. Glancing at the clock that read 7:oo am, she pulled her legs out from under her blankets and swung them off the bed, wiggling her toes. She peered at the other four beds, recognizing the lumps under the covers as Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Ginny Weasley, and Katie Bell.

"Hey guys…"she said," Time to get up. We've got an hour and a half till classes start!"

Slowly, the other girls moved and sat up in the same fashion Hermione had. The reason for their grogginess was that they stayed up late last night, celebrating the Gryffindor victory over Ravenclaw in Quidditch. Harry, Katie, Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and the Weasley twins, George and Fred, had been welcomed back form the game by an exuberant house party.

Hermione walked over to the bathroom and turned on the shower, closing the door behind her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and tried to smooth her unruly hair.

No matter, she thought. I'll just wash it then put a smooth charm on it. It will keep my hair okay for a little while.

She wanted to look good for her classes since Harry was in 2 of the 3 she had today. They had potions and transfiguration together then they split after lunch and while Harry went to Divination, she went to Arithmacy. She quickly sped through her shower and dried off. Back at the mirror, she dried her hair and put the charm on it. Finally, looking presentable, she emerged form the bathroom to find the rest of the girls waiting for the shower.

"Sorry!" Hermione squeaked as she passed the line of annoyed girls.

"Next time, take your shower BEFORE you wake us up!" Lavender said." Then we could have had at least 20 more minutes to sleep."

Hermione finally reached the door and quickly pulled it open.

"See you in class." She said as she exited.

The girls just looked at her. She smiled, pulled the door closed and walked down into the common room. Some people already up and ready were doing homework in the soft chairs around the fireplace. Hermione tisked at this. A lot had already gone to breakfast also. She decided she'd see if Ron and Harry were up and ready to go to breakfast with her. Walking up the boy's stairs, she secretly hoped she'd walk into their dorm to find Harry in his boxers.

Where's my camera when I need it, she thought, as she giggled to herself.

Reaching their door, she knocked twice.

" What?" said a sleepy Ron

" Can I come in?" Hermione asked.

She could hear fumbling and trunks open and close.

" Just a second…" Harry cried.

Hermione chuckled, silently cursing herself for knocking instead of just walking in. Finally, Harry pulled open the door.

" Hey! Want to get some breakfast?" Hermione asked.

"Sure.. just give Ron a sec. He's not quite up yet." Harry answered, grinning.

She peeked around the door to find Ron collapsed on his bed, fully dressed but half-asleep. Harry walked over and nudged Ron in the side.

"Wake up sunshine." Harry laughed.

Ron looked at him with a pained expression and smiled. Finally, the 3 started down to breakfast. Reaching the Great Hall, they saw, sitting at the end of the Gryffindor, George, Fred, Ginny and Angelina.

" I don't think I'll be able to make it through Potions!" Ron cried as he sat down next to Fred." Oh the tragedy, the horror! Looks like I'll have to miss it."

" You'll survive!" Hermione laughed.

"Just poke me if I start to snore." Ron said.

They all laughed and Hermione glanced at Harry, a wide grin on her face, only to find him grinning right back. She quickly looked down, blushing furiously and wondering if anyone could tell. She loved the way his green eyes sparkled when he laughed. Hoping to catch another glimpse of those beautiful, she looked back up. This time, his head was turned toward Fred and George and they were laughing about something. She stared at his face, taking in his handsome features. He brushed his black hair away from his eyes, revealing his scar. A small smile escaped her lips as she caught herself wanting Harry to brush her hair away from her eyes that way. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair, stare into his eyes, move I and lightly kiss his…

"HERMIONE!"

"W..What?" she said, dazed

Realizing how stupid she must have looked, she peered around the table. Fred and George were laughing, Ginny was giggling, Ron was just staring, a bewildered expression on his face and Harry, well, he was blushing a little, for he had caught her looking at him.

" You okay? Or was Harry just really interesting?" George grinned.

" Maybe we should all look!" Fred cried, looking over at Harry.

Ginny, Ron and Angelina laughed. Harry just looked down, still smiling and blushing even more.

" I..er..I just spaced for a minute." Hermione quickly lied," I was thinking about arithmacy and how…I should, er, look over my homework."

Hermione stood quickly and started away.

" Wait, I'll come too." Harry said," I've got to get my stuff anyway."

Harry stood and followed her out the Great Hall doors and up the stairs.

" So..thinking about arithmacy?" Harry snickered.

"Yes!" Hermione cried, pretending to be offended." And don't be so smug!"

"Oh, I'm not being smug." Harry grinned," just curious.

Reaching the fat lady, they said the password and climbed in. Hermione ran up to her room and grabbed her things. She ran back down to find him waiting for her by the foot of the stairs with his stuff.

" Ready to go?" Hermione asked.

" I thought you wanted to look over your homework?" Harry smiled.

"I I did! Very quickly. And now I'm done. Let's go." Hermione stammered.

Harry opened the portrait for her and then crawled through himself and they set off for potions.

" This potion is very dangerous," Snape growled as he held up a bluish bottle." If a person were to drink this, they would be dead in seconds"

" We should give some to him at lunch!" Ron whispered, smiling.

" Think I'm joking, Weasley?" Snape said maliciously." Would you like to test it?"

Ron shook his head angrily and looked down at his lap.

" Didn't think so! Now don't talk out of turn in my class again! And 5 points from Gryffindor." Snape smiled evilly.

Ron just stared down, a sour look on his face, as the lesson continued. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, both of equal loathing toward Snape. As they started to looks into antidotes, Snape had them pair up and make an antidote for a mild poison. Ron and Harry, naturally, chose to work together. Hermione worked with Seamus, next to Harry and Ron. A few times during the course of their work, Hermione's hand brushed against Harry's, sending chills up her arm. She started to do it on purpose so as to drop a hint to Harry. She was also trying to concentrate on her antidote but her mind kept wandering back to Harry. By the end of class, she didn't think she could stand Potions for much longer. Finally, the bell rang and the class was dismissed.

" We have Transfiguration next… we'd better hurry." Harry said, speeding up a little.

As they walked, Hermione tried to catch his attention by brushing up against him but still, nothing happened. She sighed and stared ahead, disappointed.

In Transfiguration, she got to sit next to Harry because Ron was talking with Seamus and Hermione had slipped past into the seat. She smiled pleasantly as she sat down, moving her chair slightly closer to Harry as she sat. She dropped hints again and, again, Harry seemed not to notice. He's completely oblivious, she thought. She glanced at the paper in front of him and looked at the drawings on it. There were Quidditch plays and little people.

A curious expression crossed her face, followed by a smile. She looked over at Harry, who looked up and smiled.

" Hermione…will you come with me after class for a walk?" He asked, noticeably nervous.

"Er, ya! Okay." Hermione whispered back.

Why does he want to go for a walk with me, Hermione thought.

Waiting for class to end was horrible. She tried to concentrate and take notes but time seemed to slow to a complete stop and she was going crazy! Finally, after what seemed like days, the bell rang. She gathered up her stuff and proceeded to the door. Stopping to wait for Harry, she saw him talking to Ron in a whisper, and Ron smiling excitedly. Curious, she walked over. They stopped talking immediately.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"I guess…." Hermione smirked

They walked out the door and Ron started for the Great Hall.

"See you in Divination, Harry!" Ron winked and turned away, walking quickly.

Hermione cast a suspicious glance at Harry who grinned sheepishly.

" Wonder what's gotten into him?" Harry laughed.

They walked past the Great Hall and out the doors of the castle, towards the lake. Hermione was growing increasingly nervous and she suspected the same of Harry, who was wringing his hands and looking down. They reached a big, flat rock next to the lake and Harry climbed on, reached a hand to Hermione and helped her up. She started to shiver because of the cold August air.

" Are you cold?" Harry asked, noticing her shiver.

" Yeah, a little, but I'm okay." Hermione smiled

But Harry seemed not to hear the last part and he put his arm around her, pulling her up against his side. Hermione's stomach was doing flip-flops by this time but she still put her head on Harry's shoulder.

" So, what did you want to talk about?" Hermione asked, looking up at him from his shoulder.

" Well, I wanted to tell you something." Harry said slowly.

" Okay… what?" she asked

" Well, I need to see your face to tell you." Harry said nervously.

Hermione lifted her head off his shoulder and looked into his eyes. He took a hand and brushed some curls out of her eyes.

" Okay…." Harry started." For a long time, I've liked you. More than a friend. And I want to know if.. if you'll go out with me?"

Harry looked into her eyes and waited for the answer. Hermione felt as though fireworks were just set off inside of her.

" OH! Er, Harry!" Hermione stuttered." I… want to soo bad! But I thought you had no idea!"

Harry laughed and pulled Hermione into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Then he pulled her back, looking into her eyes and slowly lowered his head. He placed a light kiss on Hermione's lips and drew back, and looked at her. She had her eyes closed, looking very sweet.

Hermione opened her eyes, gently placed her hands on the back of hi head and pulled him toward her, kissing him back.


	2. The Acceptance

HPCHAP2 ****

A/C: To answer some questions I got in reviews, fall seasons are cold where I am. Also, I imagine it gets cold in Scotland in fall so I just made it cold. There's no research behind it but hey, ITS FAN FICTION! Thanks to all the reviews I got just in one weekend!! I was amazed and pleasantly surprised. Don't worry. There are many more chapters to come. I won't leave you all hanging.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter. ( Do I have to do this every chapter??)

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Chapter 2: The Acceptance

Walking back up to the castle, Hermione had never felt better. One of her best friends was now her boyfriend. Holding Harry's hand, she quietly smiled to herself, not believing her good fortune. As they entered the castle, people finishing up lunch and walking out of the Great Hall stopped in their tracks. Harry and Hermione walked into the Hall and towards Ron, sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table. It seemed as though all eyes were on the two of them.

" About time!" Angelina shouted as they passed her

" Way to go Harry!" George yelled

Lavender and Parvati looked dumbstruck as they stared, mouths hanging open. Harry and Hermione sat down quickly next to Ron, who beamed happily at them.

" I'll take it that things went well, Harry?" Ron laughed.

"No… what made you think that?" Harry said, grinning and blushing, shrugging his shoulders.

"So anyway, did you do the Divination homework?" Ron asked, looking back down to his food.

"Yeah, I did. Using our special technique!" Harry laughed

" You guys should really try in that class. Even if it is a hoax and the professor doesn't know anything. But you signed up for it." Hermione scolded, her face showing disapprovement.

" I guess your right…," Harry said," but it's kind of hard to take it seriously when your professor predicts your death every day."

Hermione laughed, then started to eat her food when she heard a cold voice behind her, making her flinch.

" What have we here?" Draco Malfoy drawled lazily, looking at Harry and Hermione and smiled cruelly." It seems that the mudblood and the lucky idiot have teamed up and joined forces."

" Hey…Don't.." Hermione started quietly.

" Shut up Malfoy. I actually have someone who likes me for who I am unlike your "wonder" group back at your table who like, or pretend to like you, just for your money and knowledge of dark magic. Now get away from my table and stop dirtying it up with your filthy mouth." Harry hissed as he stood up and walked in front of Hermione, blocking her and Ron from view.

" You had better watch your tongue or something bad might happen to your pauper and half-breed." Draco spat as he backed up, nodding to behind Harry before walking back to his table.

Ron stared at Harry, somewhat surprised but generally satisfied. Harry sat back down, slightly red in the face but none the less triumphant. Hermione kept her eyes on him. As he turned to look at her, she smiled and mouthed the words 'Thank You' as his eyes met hers.

He smiled and stared to eat again. Just before the bell rang ending lunch, Dumbledore stood.

" Please quiet down now." Dumbledore spoke calmly." I have an announcement to make. As you all know, it is now fall. The staff and I have decided to award you for an excellent beginning of the year. We are going to have a Fall Ball in honour of it. Now, this will take place a week from now, Sunday night. This gives you all time to get dresses and suits, or you may wear your dress robes. Thank you for your attention."

The bell rang for the next class a few minutes later. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood and stared for class. Hermione, having to go down while Harry and Ron went up, gave Harry a quick kiss and waved good bye to the boys. Harry and Ron continued up the stairs and finally reached the very top, walked down the hallway and saw the trap door in the ceiling. Starting up the ladder, Harry could already feel the heat on his face and smell the overpowering aroma of potpourri and candle wax. He emerged in a small attic-like room full of poufs and small tables. Sitting at their regular table in the back, the boys watched the rest of the students file in and sit, Lavender and Parvati up front, as usual.

" Good afternoon, my students." A misty voice sounded from the back of the room.

Looking back, Professor Trelawney(SP) emerged and started to walk up the rows to the front of the room. As she passed Harry, she shook her head sympathetically and continued her trek up. Harry frowned and looked at his crystal ball in front of him, watching the swirling mist inside. The overpowering heat and aroma made Harry very sleepy and the crystal ball was somewhat relaxing. Harry blinked hard and, to prevent falling asleep, forced himself to look at his Professor, her huge glasses magnifying her eyes and setting them out of proportion with the rest of her slim face.

" While crystal gazing last night, I came upon the most horrific thing. One of my students is in danger." She trilled.

Immediately, all eyes went on Harry.

"What?!?!" Harry cried, throwing his hands up.

Harry scowled and looked at Ron.

"Number one.." he said under his breath.

The rest of the class went on like this. Many times, Harry's fate was changed and then changed again, making Harry more and more aggravated. When Harry asked why his new fate contradicted the last, Professor Trelawney claimed that she did not have anything to do with it. 'Blame it on the stars' she said.

Finally, the bell rang around 3:45 and as Harry and Ron were leaving, they were stopped by Parvati and Lavender.

" What happened at lunch?" Parvati asked, obviously annoyed.

" What do you mean?" Harry said, smirking.

"What do I mean… You and Hermione HOLDING hands. Ring a bell?" Parvati growled.

:Ohhh! That! Well, she and I are going out now." Harry smiled.

"You and Hermione?" Lavender frowned.

" Yeah, you got a problem?" Ron said, now annoyed.

Lavender smiled briskly and shoved Parvati forward.

"Were going now." She said as they walked away.

Harry laughed and they continued down to the Gryffindor tower. By the time they reached the Fat Lady, 10 other people had confronted Harry and Ron about lunch. They were starting to get angry.

" It seems to have made its way around school fast, considering most of them were in the Great Hall when you guys walked in." Ron said, smiling.

They said the password and climbed into the common room, spotted Hermione on a couch by the fire and walked over.

"hey." Hermione said coyly when they reached her, and pulled Harry down next to her. He gave her a kiss, putting an arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him, snuggling her head into his chest.

Ron, looking slightly embarrassed, said," Looks like you guys have an audience!"

They looked around the room, seeing people staring and pointing and some boys Harry knew, giving him thumbs up. They also caught a few glares directed at Hermione from girls who had crushes on Harry. Hermione just smiled and wrapped her arms around Harry's waist. Ron pulled out his homework and started to work on it. Hermione smiled at Ron and settled in. Eventually, she sat up, grabbed her parchment and books, and started her homework as well. They were all sitting there doing work when Fred and George walked up, with ducked shaped pastries on a platter around 8:00.

"Hey guys. We went to the kitchen and got some food. Want some?" Fred smiled deviously.

Harry knew better than to take anything form the twins but Ron seemed not to notice their smiles and trusted them at that moment. Or he was just hungry because dinner was 2 hours ago. He took a pastry they offered and bit into it. Nothing happened.

" Yum! These are pretty good!" Ron said, through a mouth of crumbs as he grabbed a few more.

"Enjoy!" George smiled as they walked away.

Harry shrugged at Hermione and continued with his homework. A few minutes later, though, the silence was interrupted by Ron, who had started to spit up purple daisies. The twins, who had been watching from the other side of the common room, strolled up, trying not to double over laughing.

"You like it?" Fred laughed, a gleeful look on his face.

" We call them Daisy Ducks." George grinned.

Ron was about to say something but instead, spit daisies all over the floor. But he still managed to glare at them and they walked away, looking for more victims.

"Oh, Ron! Leave it to you to be so gullible." Hermione scolded, as she bent to pick up the daisies.

About 5 minutes later, the daisies had slowed to a minimum and he only hiccoughed up a few at a time.

" I'm going up to our room Harry, before I hex something!" Ron said to him, staring at the twins who were now trying to convince Seamus to eat one. Ron stood and walked toward the stairs, leaving a small trail of daisies behind him.

" At last, We can be alone!" Harry smiled as he raised his eyebrows.

Hermione giggled and set down the daisies she had been gathering. Harry came over and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close, so they were almost nose to nose.

" You are so beautiful!" Harry whispered as he looked into her eyes.

Hermione blushed and set her head on his shoulder, putting her arms around his neck as he stroked her hair. He started to sing, just above a whisper, in her ear.

" Your just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you. You'd be like heaven to touch. I want to hold you so much…" he sang in a low voice as he started to dance with her." At long last love has arrived and I thank God I'm alive. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you."

They spun slowly on the spot and even though there wasn't any music, they had a song in their head, playing for them as they forgot about everything else and just held onto eachother. And for that moment, everything was perfect. And they just danced.


	3. The Hogsmead Trip

A/N: Chapter 3 is here!! Yay.. Okay, anyway. Hope you like it. There are more chapters! Don't worry. I'm just putting them up gradually. It's not all fluff either. There is trouble in paradise (as it says in the summary). So read on… OH and if you like Cho, so sorry, because she's the 'bad guy' in this story as well as Draco Malfoy. So here goes…

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. J 

The Hogsmead Trip

Hermione lay in her bed, thinking about what had happened earlier. She smiled at her thoughts and closed her eyes, knowing that the dance would replay over and over in her dreams and she couldn't wait to get to sleep.

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She awoke to the sun streaked across her face and glanced at the clock. It was Saturday so she didn't have to get up but she didn't want to miss breakfast so she quietly lowered her feet to the floor and started to get ready. She quickly dressed and tiptoed out so as not to wake the other girls.

Walking down the stairs, she saw Harry and Ron sitting talking by the fire. She stepped off the landing and walked over.

"Hey guys!" she said as she sat on the arm of Harry's chair, sliding an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey!" Ron said, " We've been waiting for you! If not for Harry here, I could've been sitting here full, but instead, I chose to starve."

Ron embellished on the last part and valiantly bowed toward Hermione. Hermione just sat there, smirking.

"Well…I'm up now! So stop complaining!" Hermione cried, grinning at Ron.

He jumped up and started to pull the other two up, whining about not even having enough energy to make it down to the Great Hall. Harry and Hermione finally got up and followed Ron down, joining their friends at the Gryffindor table. After breakfast, Harry told Ron that he and Hermione would meet him before the Hogsmead trip that day so they could walk together. 

The couple walked outside of the castle and towards the lake, where Harry had asked Hermione a few days earlier.

Hermione laced her fingers with his and looked around at the fall colours. The air was crisp and cold but the sun was bright. Tell tale signs of autumn were everywhere. Caramel colored leaves littered the ground, crunching underneath their feet. The trees above were multi-colored with greens, reds, oranges and browns. Hermione loved this season because of that.

As they walked, Hermione picked up leaves and twirled them with her fingers, showing Harry the colours. He nodded and smiled, breathing in the fresh air. Hagrid's hut was up ahead and they could see him working in his garden out back. As they got closer, they spotted crates in a corner and Harry tensed, remembering the last things that were in crates.(A/N: Blast ended Screwts, if you don't remember.)

"Hello, Hagrid!" Hermione yelled, waving her hand furiously.

" Alright, Harry, Hermione?" Hagrid bellowed, looking up and shading his eyed from the sun.

" What's in the crates?" Harry asked warily.

"Oh, nothin'." Hagrid said, grinning deviously, "You'll find out soon enough."

Harry laughed nervously. He had Care of Magical Creatures on Monday with the Slytherins. He was not looking forward to it. Especially since Malfoy would be there. He had been wary every time a new creature was introduced to that class since Malfoy's Hippogriff incident.

"I can't wait!" Harry cried, forcing a grin on his face. He liked Hagrid to much to tell him the truth.

" Come in fer some tea?" Hagrid asked, raising his bushy eyebrows.

" No thanks." Hermione said politely," We just ate and are trying to work it off a little."

She grinned and they waved goodbye, continuing the walk. As they made their way along the edge of the forrest towards the lake, they watched the giant squid lazily propel itself across the placid surface, and watched the ripples it left behind as they spread.

"Let's go sit down over there." Harry suggested, leading Hermione towards the water's edge.

He sat down and looked up at Hermione. Hermione lay down in the grass and put her head on his lap. She started to unconsciously play with her hair and noticed Harry laughed at her.

"You look so cute like that!" He chuckled as he looked down at her.

Hermione stuck out her tongue and sat up, gazing out at the lake. Then, she turned to look at Harry and met his eyes, looking back at her. He bent forward and kissed her. Hermione's stomach filled with butterflies, like the first time she kissed him and she returned his kiss. He moved his hands to her back and scooted closer. He pulled back his head and kissed her on her nose. She crinkled it and brushed the hair out of his eyes, letting her hand rest on his cheek. She smiled and took her hand away, putting it on his hand.

She lay her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist so they were side by side. She sat there and ran her fingers over his hand. He then turned and kissed her forehead.

"We had better get back to Ron!" He said gently

They stood and held hands, starting back to the castle. Reaching the doors, they pulled them open to find people lined up, waiting to be check off for the trip. After signing in with Professor McGonagall (sp.), they scanned the crowd, searching for Ron's fiery red hair.

They finally spotted Ron, standing beside the twins, Seamus, and Dean and they pushed their way through the crowd to them.

"Hey!" Ron cried, smiling at them." I thought you weren't going to make it! You know….you had more interesting things to do.."

He arched his eyebrows and laughed because of the expressions on the other two's faces. Hermione's was one of shock and embarrassment but Harry's said 'You know I could have!' Suddenly, someone knocked roughly into Hermione, pushing her onto Ron, who caught her by the arms. Before she turned to glare at whomever had done it, she heard the familiar voice of Cho Chang.

"Harry!" Cho grinned," I heard you and Hermione were going out! Is this true?"

She stuck out her bottom lip and raised her perfect eyebrows.

" Yeah, we are." Harry said, smiling proudly

"Oh.." Cho frowned," well, I'm sure it's just a phase!"

Cho laughed and looked at Hermione, reading her expression. Hermione had on a look of utter disgust, no smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She just stared right back.

" I'm just joking!" Cho snorted, smacking Hermione's shoulder, a little harder than Hermione liked." Learn to lighten up!"

Hermione stepped back, away from Cho's reach. She didn't like Cho ever since that brief period that her and Harry went out in the beginning of 5th year. Harry broke up with her because she tried to get him to stop being friends with Ron and Hermione. She said it was bad for his "reputation". But for some reason, Harry was still nice to her.

" Anyway, maybe I'll see you at Three Broomsticks for some Butterbeer?" She trailed off suggestively, turning her attention back to Harry.

"Yeah, maybe.." Harry said uncomfortably, blushing.

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at Ron, who wore an expression of equal distaste. But Harry had seemed not to notice.

" Okay, bye now!" Cho smiled as she trotted away.

Harry smiled back and looked over at the other two. For the first time, he saw their expressions. He could see Fred and George shaking their heads behind Ron.

" What?!" Harry cried.

"Oh, don't "what?" me!" Hermione scowled, turning away from Harry and crossing her arms.

She noticed Draco looking over and pointing her way, snickering. She scrunched up her face and looked down at her shoes.

"Look, Hermione. I'm sorry, okay?" Harry said from behind her, "I didn't know it made you mad when I talk to her."

"I'm not mad that you talk to her!" Hermione cried as she turned to face him." I'm mad at the _way_ you talk to her."

Ron nodded and looked away, suddenly interested in the ceiling.

"It's true, Harry. You seem to just focus everything else out except Cho." Ron mumbled, chewing on his lip, his eyebrows raised slightly. 

"Well, I don't!" Harry said defensively.

He looked at their faces, both showing disbelief.

" I don't." He pouted, a sour expression on his face

Hermione, deciding to be the bigger man, or woman, decided to put aside her pride and suspicions. She didn't want to fight and she trusted Harry so she spoke up.

"Forget about it." She sighed as she put her hands in his," just don't let it happen again!"

She laughed and Harry smiled weakly and squeezed her hand back. Finally, the large group of students started moving across the Hogwarts grounds. Hermione noticed that Draco still seemed very interested in what just happened and was staring back at her.

"I wish he would stop _staring_ at me!" Hermione said, annoyed.

Harry looked over and furrowed his brows. Draco just smiling loathsomely and looked away. Hermione didn't like the way he looked at them, let alone him looking at her normally. She dropped her eyes to the ground and continued to think about it.

"Let's just have a good time today!" Ron said, patting Hermione on the shoulder awkwardly.

Hermione smiled warily at Ron and decided that he was right. She was going to have a good time and forget about Malfoy.

"I want to get a dress for the Fall Ball!" Hermione said as they entered to village.

Hermione looked up and down the street of shops and decided on a dress shop near Three Broomsticks. Leading Harry and Ron inside, she cast her eyes upon the dresses lining the aisle. Harry and Ron helped her pick out a few and she tried on most of the dresses (Harry picked out a really weird one and Ron pulled out a _very_ revealing dress she refuses to even take in with her). Finally, she found light blue dress that just sort of fell around her. It clung slightly to her hips, then rippled around her ankles. It had small straps that just covered her shoulders and a sloping back. As soon as she stepped out of the dressing room, she heard Harry suck in his breath.

"It's perfect…wow!" He said, taking in the way the dress looked on Hermione, like it was made for her.

Ron had a similar expression but more like a friend look.

" It look absolutely right on you. It's beautiful." Ron said sincerely.

Hermione blushed and twirled, looking in the mirror. She smoothed her hands over the silky material and across her stomach, standing a little straighter and throwing her shoulders back. Harry and Ron were right, she thought. This is the one. As she changed out of it, she carefully folded it over her arm and placed it on the chair beside her. She finished dressing and walked out to the register. After purchasing the dress, she and the boys went over to Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer. They entered the restaurant and it was packed. The atmosphere was warm and cheerful, full of happy people grateful to be out of the chill. Ron went over to get the drinks as Hermione and Harry got a table. Finally, they spotted one in the back and started to walk to it.

"Harry!!" A girl cried from across the room.

Harry turned to see who it was and saw Cho waving excitedly, her friends gathered around her smiling. Hermione frowned immediately and sat down at the table, watching as Cho made her way through the crowd. She tried to prep herself, not to betray her word to Harry earlier, and pushed back her ill feelings to spare argument with Harry. Cho glided through people and reached the table, taking a seat next to Harry without even questioning her welcome.

"Hey cutie!" Cho grinned and playfully punched Harry's shoulder, then turned to Hermione." Hello."

Hermione could see Ron making his way back to them and she forced a small smile, stood up and went to help Ron carry the drinks and warn him of the situation.

" I would walk the other way if I were you." Hermione said as she grabbed a drink." Cho's working her magic on Harry again."

She nodded her head in the direction and looked over, anxious to see any new developments.

" I swear, she must have veela in her." Hermione scowled." I bet she just dyes her hair black.

Ron snickered and they walked reluctantly back to the table.

" So anyway, the girls and I want to go the London for a weekend on Christmas break and I wanted to know if maybe, you too want to come, seeing as you live near there." Cho smiled sweetly as she inched toward Harry.

Harry saw Hermione's face drop as she heard Cho say it and he knew how stupid he must have seemed.

"Cho, I promised Hermione I would do something with her over Christmas Break." Harry said, shrugging.

This time, it was Cho's face that dropped. Hermione looked up from her butterbeer and smiled at Harry. Cho sneered at Hermione when Harry wasn't looking then put on a fake smile.

"Are you sure, Harry?" Cho tried." We could really use you!"

" Nope, I'm positive." Harry said, smiling.

Cho stood up, a hurt expression on her face.

"Let me know if you change your mind." Cho smiled as she walked away, trying to hide her resentment and rejection. But she knew he would soon change his mind.

Harry turned back toward Hermione and Ron again.

"So what are we doing over Christmas Break?" He asked, a huge smile on his face.

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Chapter 4 will come soon but be sure to R/R for not so long a wait. Notice a little foreshadowing???hehehehe


	4. The Big Night

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PLEASE READ!!

A/N: Sorry it took so long. I've been doing a lot of things lately and haven't had time to type up the story. I will try to be quicker but I'm still in the process of writing it. You guys are catching up to me quickly! Anyway, I got a review, a flame to be exact, that said that Harry sounded like a jerky slut…..Ouch! My heart….. That was not how I intended him to be perceived! Let me explain. Harry is like any other guy. He is just really nice and even if he had a bad breakup with Cho, he's gonna be nice to her. Yet he doesn't' know how to react to her advances because he is confused with other things. Like things in THIS chapter. If the person that had written the flame had waited for the whole story, as Rach had said, she would have seen that Harry is a rounded character. Pay attention to his reactions! He really does like Hermione a lot, but Cho makes it hard for him to move on. He doesn't like Cho anymore, but he still is nervous and weak around her. She was, after all, his first crush! Okay…on with the story…

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and such aren't mine and never will be. Blah, blah, blah!

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Chapter 4: The Dance

Back at the castle, about an hour after Harry, Hermione and Ron had returned from Hogsmead and about an hour and a half since Cho's shameful flirting, they sat in the Gryffindor common room, around a blazing fire. The flames licked hungrily at the wood and provided ample heat in the spacious room. Hermione curled up against Harry's side, watching the logs give of smoke, as if a final breath. She sighed contently and looked over at Ron, who seemed to be nodding off. She chuckled and closed her eyes, pressing her head further into the crook of Harry's arm and drifted off to sleep.

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Hermione awoke to someone carrying her up the stairs to her dormitory. She didn't have to look, knowing it was Harry by his smell, and she snuggled into his chest. The last thing she remembered was a light kiss on her forehead and Harry whispering goodnight.

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When Hermione woke the next morning, she felt refreshed and tried to push Cho into the back of her thoughts. She just focused on getting ready and meeting Ron and Harry. As soon as she was dressed, she hurried downstairs and into the common room. Spotting the boys by the portrait hole, she stepped off the landing and walked over, giving Harry a kiss and Ron a hug, just so he wouldn't feel left out.

"The dance is tomorrow…." Hermione said slowly, looking at Ron. "Who are you going with?"

Ron blushed and looked down.

"Do you have a date?" Hermione frowned, silently scolding herself for being so outright.

"Oh! No, it's not that. I do! Just someone you wouldn't expect." Ron said slowly, then added quickly, " But not in a bad way!"

"Well…who?" Hermione said, curiously.

"You'll just have to wait until tomorrow, won't you!" Ron laughed.

Hermione looked over at Harry, who was just watching them talk, back and forth, with a small smile on his lips.

"You know, don't you!" Hermione cried, pushing him back playfully.

"Well…I sort of helped get him the date!" Harry, laughed as he held up his hands, shielding his face.

Hermione pursed her lips and looked at Harry and Ron, trying to read their faces.

"Your not going to tell me, are you?" She asked, putting a fake expression of hurt on her face.

Harry smiled and shook his head. Ron grinned at Hermione. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry and gopt face to face woth him. She had a mischievous smile on her face.

"I have ways of making you talk." She smiled, narrowing her eyes.

"I think I can handle that." Harry smiled back.

Hermione started to laugh and looked at Ron.

"So your really not going to tell me, are you?" She whined, shifting her feet and hips.

Ron shook his head.

"Well the, let's not talk about it and do something else." Hermione said, changing the subject.

The rest of the day was uneventful with the exception of Neville tripping over his toad, Trevor, as he looked for him and tumbling into a group of first years, who all screamed like the dickens then walked away muttering to each-other about their hair. Ron Harry, and Hermione decided to get to bed early to be refreshed for the dance tomorrow and said goodnight to each-other around 9:30 at night. Hermione slept well and woke the next morning around 8:00. She stretched her legs out and breathed in, her eyes still shut. She brought her hands up and rubbed her eyes, then climbed out of the bed. Remembering what day it was, she had more energy and started to get ready. She decided to wear a sweater and a pair of jeans, throwing on her black cloak. She bustled downstairs and saw that neither Harry or Ron were up, and she was more hungry than patient so she set down for the Great Hall. 

She sat alone for about 10 minutes before Ginny Weasley entered and sat next to her. A group of slytherin boys had entered just before that, which included Draco Malfoy, a boy that looked similar to Malfoy and a few others. They were all sitting together, whispering fervently and looking from each other to Hermione and Ginny. Hermione glared at them and tried to brush it off but she had an uneasy feeling. Ginny just shrugged and continued to eat. Hermione sighed but didn't have mush time to worry about it because the boys, being Harry, Ron, Dean, Seamus, Fred and George, came into the Hall and sat with the two girls, talking noisily and laughing. Harry slipped an arm around Hermione and kissed her cheek.

All through breakfast, it was hard to keep a straight face because Fred and George were just being themselves, which was hilarious. Ron laughed so hard that he spit his oatmeal across the table and onto Harry, who, in turn, spit his pumpkin juice out and, by accident, all over Hermione. Hermione jumped up and started to wipe it off as best she could when she slipped on the juice that made it to the floor and knocked into George, pushing his face into his oatmeal. Everyone was doubling over by the time the Hall started to really fill up.

"Okay, okay…seriously! We need to get it together..!" Fred cried, then snorted, " Yeah right. Like when would that happen!"

The laughter faded a while after and some of them got up and left, their laughter replaced by upset, grumbling stomachs (A/N: I know that from experience!!) Everyone left eventually and returned to the common room to work on homework. A while later, Harry lay on the couch and had started to write an essay for Defense against Dark Arts, while Hermione decided to play chess with Ron, for a change. After many unsuccessful attempts by Hermione, Ron got checkmate and finished the game. She sat back in her chair and called Crookshanks over to her, allowing the giant cat to jump on her and rub his face on her chin. Ron patted the cat's head. Ever since he found out that Scabbers wasn't a rat, he tried to be nice to it but he still had a rough time at it. He then started to clean up his chess pieces.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked, anxious to get ready for the dance. She wanted to look absolutely perfect since it _was_ her first official date with Harry. The dance started at 5:00 p.m. and she wanted a least two hours.

"It's 2:00" Ron sighed, bored already. The next hour passed slowly as Hermione read "Hogwarts: A History" again. Harry and Ron had taken to playing as many games as they could. They had played Exploding Snaps at least 5 times already and were stating on a game of chess when Hermione announced that she was going up to get ready. She walked up her stairs and closed the door. Back in the common room, Ron was beating Harry badly already when Fred and George walked casually downstairs, across the common room and up the girl's stairs. A few minutes later, a scream was heard, followed by Fred and George running down the stairs, back across the common room and up the boy's stairs. Moments later, Angelina and Alicia pounded downstairs, hard frustration on their faces.

"They threw a smokebomb in the room!" Angelina cried incredulously. " We can't even see across the room. They are going to pay!"

They continued across with fists clenched and faces set, as they proceeded up the stairs to the boy's rooms. Harry and Ron went up a little while later and 5:00 finally rolled around. Harry stood at the top of the boy's stairs, slightly nervous. He straightened his bow tie and started to walk down the stairs. This was his first actual date with Hermione, he noticed. Yet the way the last ball went, he wasn't so sure that this was a good place to have one. He waited at the bottom of the stairs for a few minutes and finally Hermione appeared. The dress looked even better now, with her hair up and curls falling on the sides, framing her face. She looked stunning and Harry said so. By the time Ron had come down, Harry had calmed down a bit, but was still pretty nervous and the night hadn't even started yet.

"Ron, when am I going to find out who your date is?" Hermione pleaded, sticking out her lower lip.

"Very soon… In fact, here she is!" Ron smiled, looking up, behind Hermione.

Katie Bell smiled down. Harry had fixed them up through Quidditch when he found out that Ron had a crush on her and Katie thought he was good-looking and wouldn't mind dating him. Hermione frowned slightly.

"How did I not find out about this?" She asked, genuinely confused, " I talk to Katie all the time!"

She then turned on Katie.

" Why did you never tell me?" She huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ron thought it was funny to keep you guessing. I have to admit, it was pretty funny listening to you complain about it right in front of me." Katie laughed.

Hermione bit her lip and looked at the two of them, wide smiles on their faces, and started to giggle.

" Well, I think we should head down to the dance now." Harry spoke up, looking at his watch.

They walked out of the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall. As they entered, they saw hundreds of fairies above them, gliding and twinkling all around the place. The house table had been replaced by smaller table, seating about 6 people, with a few candles floating above them. Multi-colored leaves hung, suspended in the air around the table. The four took their seats at a table on the side and watched as the others arrived. The professors sat down up front. Dumbledore stood, smiling warmly over the students as he raised a hand, waiting for their silence.

"I have just a few minor announcements I would like to get out the way. First, I have booked the Weird Sisters for you again since they were so welcome last year…" He paused, waiting for the applause to die down." Also, Mr. Filch has requested that no food or drink be taken out of the Hall as he doesn't want to clean spills up all around the castle. That is all. Enjoy!"

Food appeared in front of the students on the tables. Huge plates of chicken wings covered in honey barbecue sauce, heaping piles of mashed potatoes, green salad mixed with eggs and carrots, fried apples dipped in sweet cinnamon honey, huge hams glistening with its glaze. The four sitting together stared at the delectable food for a few seconds then dug in, helping themselves to all they could reach. A short time later, their bellies all considerably fuller, the band started up and couples got up and walked to the dance floor. Fred and Angelina, who had gone together again, dance to their own beat wildly as other couples, following the slow beat, backed away and gave them space. Harry offered his hand to Hermione, who smiled and took it gladly. He led her to the dance floor and drew her in, putting his arms tight around her waist. Hermione laid her hands around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, they stayed for a couple of numbers, then sat down, back at their table and watched the others dance around them.

" Do you want something to drink?" Harry asked, standing.

Hermione nodded and thanked him as he left towards the refreshment table for butterbeer. She sat alone for only a few minutes though. A boy came and sat next to her. She recognized him as the boy that was with Draco earlier, who looked similar to him as well, but not knowing anything about him and not judgmental, she smiled.

"Hi." He said as he smiled back." Okay, this may sound whack, but my friends over there.." he pointed towards a group of boys, all staring back. Some waved. " Well, you see, they bet me that I couldn't get you to come over with me to say hi. Care to prove them wrong?" He asked, looking sheepish.

Hermione glanced back at the others boys, a small sense of foreboding in her stomach. But she pushed the thought aside.

" Er, sure. Why not? It couldn't do any harm." Hermione said back, standing. She didn't think that anything was up, even if he did hang out with Malfoy.

They walked past some more tables to the boys and stopped in front of them. They all smiled, although some of the smiles weren't particularly nice.

"Okay, what's this all about. Here I am, now what?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows. The boy that had brought her over spoke up.

" That was it. This is the bet. But we also wanted to tell you we, er, think your.. pretty." He spit out, as though it were painful to say.

Hermione noticed his speech but didn't say anything. She smiled and was just about to walk away when the boy grabbed her arm.

" What about Harry?" He asked as she turned to face him.

"What _about _Harry?" Hermione said, a chill in her voice. 

" Yeah, Hermione, what about me?" she heard a voice speak behind her.

She jumped and spun around where she faced the one and only Harry himself. His face was hard but she could see in his eyes the overwhelming hurt that threatened to screw up his face any moment. Malfoy stood next to him, a sickly smile on his face.

"W…What?" Hermione stuttered, feeling flustered.

" So is it true?" Harry said, his voice slightly shaking." I didn't believe Malfoy, even as he pointed out where you were and walked over. But how could I mistake what I just heard."

He stared into Hermione's eyes, searching for an element of truth. He stood there, rooted to his spot, as if contemplating what to say next. They stood that way for about 2 minutes before he spoke up again.

"How could you say that?" He asked, his voice so low that only those near him could hear it.

"What? Harry…I didn't do anything! You misunderstood! What did Malfoy tell you? What did you tell him?" She said hurriedly as she turned to Malfoy. 

"Only the truth." Malfoy crooned." Just what he needed to hear. And you just proved my point. Great timing!" 

The whole, Hermione felt Harry's eyes on her. She felt tears well up in her eyes, even though she did nothing wrong. She just realized what was going on. As a tear slid down her cheek, she turned to Harry, his face fallen.

" I didn't do anything! You…you believe him?" She panicked, her chin trembling.

Harry looked away, as if trying to hold back emotion. The whole time, Malfoy had a look of pure satisfaction on his face, but every time Harry looked his way, he put on a mock sympathy.

"I _heard_ what you said, Hermione! I don't see how it could be misunderstood. I just don't understand why? Why did you do it? Please don't lie.." Harry said, his face turned and his eyes downcast.

"But if you would just listen!" Hermione cried, creating a scene.

"I don't _want_ to listen. I heard all I needed to." Harry said forcefully, as if making up his mind.

He turned away and walked towards the other side of the Hall. Hermione was drawing in short, rapid breaths, trying to control herself as Harry walked away. She looked down, taking in the situation. She almost started after Harry but as she looked up, she saw that Cho had already walked up to him, her hand on his shoulder, comforting him. As they walked off, Cho turned back, an ugly smile on her face. 

Hermione could feel the anger welling up inside her as tears streamed down her face. She looked straight at Malfoy and held her gaze for a few moments. She then pulled back her and slapped him hard across his face. He was taken aback and stumbled a little but Hermione didn't stay to hear what he said. She rushed past him, pushing him out of the way, and ran toward the doors to the Entrance Hall. She ran out and up to the Gryffindor portrait. Saying the password through tears, she streaked past the Fat Lady, who's concerned voice echoed after her. Up her stairs, through her door and unto her bed. She started to cry freely and continued until she cried herself to sleep, still wearing her beautiful dress and Harry's scent.

Back at the dance, Harry had seen Hermione run out. He wanted to run after her, but stopped himself. Instead, he put his head in his hands. It can't be true, he thought. He was shaken out of his thoughts by a voice. 

"C'mon Harry. Let's go for a walk." Cho sickly sweet voice said as she put her hand on his knee.

He looked up and nodded, standing up as well.

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OHHHH! I feel so bad to do that…but…I needed conflict! There it is. I hope the next chapter doesn't take as long but no promises. Hope you liked it!!! Thanks to my reviewers including 

**lilprincess12186, harryfairy&hermione14pg, and Gary Skinner** **cause they helped me get this chapter up. Thanks you guys!**


	5. The Confrontation

A/N: Thanks to all you guys who continue to read and review. I really appreciate it! Anyway, so after that bout of trouble in the last chapter, many of you are wondering what will happen to "the crew". Well, I'm hoping that this chapter will provide a little insight in you questions because I can't tell you how it will end! Hehe. And the beginning starts with not mush talking so just be warned. Er, okay. I really don't have anything else to say so…On with the Show.. er story!

Disclaimer: You all know perfectly well that I don't own anything. Read all the other disclaimers!

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Chapter 5: The Aftermath

Hermione woke groggily the next morning. Lifting her head from the pillow, she saw that she was still wearing her dress from the dance. It was then that she was sure it wasn't just a dream. A horrible feeling rose up from the pit of her stomach and stuck in her throat. She rolled over and looked out the window at the sun rising over the lake. It was a beautiful scene, the sun splayed across the water, glittering. Not exactly the way I feel, she thought to herself. Her hair, half down by now, looked like she had gotten caught in a storm. She really didn't want to get up. She knew that everyone probably knew by now and was not looking forward to facing them. Nevertheless, she got out of bed and started to do her best to recover her dress, her hair and herself. She pulled down the twist she had worked it into and let her hair fall around her shoulders. Hermione stood, staring at herself in the mirror, and started to cry. She sat in the chair in front of the table and put her head in her hands, letting her hair fall around her face, as she continued where she left off last night.

She didn't care if Lavender or Parvati saw her crying. She could actually care less if anyone saw her crying. Even Ron. She stood up and stared to change into regular clothes, ignoring the other girls whom had started to get up. She ignored their pitied stares, worrying glances to each other and silent, mouthed concerns as hurried out of the room. Hermione stopped halfway down the stairs, trying to contain herself before she entered the common room. She really hoped Harry wasn't there because she didn't know if she could handle it.

She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Breathe. Just breathe." Hermione whispered to herself. (A/N: Great line from "Ever After" J )

Then, Hermione started to walk again. Slowly, but constantly, she reached the bottom of the steps and glanced into the common room. Fred and George, Ginny, Seamus, the Creevy brothers, Dean, and other students. But no Harry and no Ron. She moved to a chair in the corner, facing the fire, and got her homework from the weekend together, sorting her papers to distract herself from the stares she was receiving. Apparently, she was right about everyone knowing the story of what happened last night. Then, Harry and Ron came downstairs. 

Hermione looked up, then turned away quickly. She knew that she had the right to confront him more than he did her, but she just couldn't. She wanted to ask him why he believed Malfoy over her, why he just jumped to conclusions, why he went to Cho. She kept her eyes to her papers and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She hated to think of what Cho told him after Hermione ran out. And she wondered if he bought what she said, like he had Malfoy.

What she didn't see was Harry looking over at her. His expression matched Hermione's as he saw the tears on her face. He hated to see her cry. Ron also saw Hermione crying and started to walk over to her. Just then, Hermione stood up, her face still wet with tears, and walked briskly past Ron, then past Harry and out the portrait hole. Ron, startled by her quick exit, turned just as fast and walked out right behind her, but not without a disapproving glare at Harry.

Ron followed Hermione as she ran through the halls, not knowing particularly where she was going. She didn't see Ron yet and slowed down, then sat down next to a suit of armor and buried her face in her robes. Ron stopped right in front of her and stooped to her level. He then raised his hand, unsure of how to comfort her, but making an effort, and placed it on the side of her head. Hermione jumped and sat up quickly. Her wide eyes gave way to relief as she flung herself on her. He froze for a second, not knowing what to do then wrapped his arms around her tightly. She held on as tightly as him, as if not wanting to lose him too and cried into his shoulder.

"Ron, I don't know what to do!" Hermione muffled voice came from his shoulder. " He thinks I did something horrible and I didn't and I.. I can't talk to him! I'm afraid of what he'll say. Please, please help me."

Ron felt about as horrible as Hermione now and he hugged her, trying his best to soothe her but failing.

" Hermione, I don't know what to do." Ron said quietly.

So they just stood there, in the middle of this hallway as people started to pass by, going to class. Hermione, having stopped crying after a while, let go of Ron and smiled weakly at him.

" I have to go to class now. But thank you, Ron. I don't know what I would do without you." She said as she picked up her bag, and turned to walk to her class, sniffling. 

Ron waved her off and started the opposite way. Hermione continued on her way to Transfiguration, deciding to herself that she would be strong and hold up. After all, she had nothing to feel sorry about. But that wasn't the way her heart felt. Yet somehow, she managed to get through her day without shedding a tear. She often had to fight the urge when she had classes with the Slytherins and Harry. But she did do it. She knew it would be easy! The bell rang as she stood up from her desk in her final class of the day. She walked slowly to the door and walked down the hall, deep in thought. She didn't really think about where she was going but she walked out onto the grounds and down by the forest, just walking on the edge. It was then that she saw Cho on the Quidditch field. Without a further thought, she ran over and right up to Cho, who had seen Hermione coming and landed.

" Hermione! How nice to see you! I see Harry has finally gotten some common sense and finished it with you!" Cho sneered, while dismounting her broom.

" I know what you and Malfoy have planned! How could you go into ranks with him?" Hermione yelled incredulously." What have you told Harry?"

"Oh, just that there are better girls out there, for instance. And I made sure he knew who I was talking about!" She smiled as she brushed her hair off of her shoulder. " I guess I told him that you don't deserve him, I could treat him right, and…er…that I was right there for him anytime he needed someone to _talk_ to."

Hermione opened her mouth, startled by what she had just been told.

" I thought there might have been some sort of good in you but I guess I was wrong. Especially since you and Malfoy seem to be buddy-buddy now. And you're wrong. You're not good enough for Harry! You're not even good enough for the dirt under my shoe!" Hermione spat out.

Cho put an ugly expression on her face, not becoming her at all and she looked as though she were about to say something. But then she looked past Hermione and waved at someone behind her. Hermione turned around to see Harry stopped about 20 feet away, not sure if he should continue or not. Hermione looked down quickly and closed her eyes. Then, she gathered her belongings and strode over toward Harry, finally gaining some confidence and anger.

" You two deserve each other if you believe her and Malfoy over my word." Hermione said as she passed him, knowing that he had heard every word.

She knew, rather, she hoped that it had hurt him as much as it hurt her to say it, but she remained strong and walked up to the castle and up to the common room. She threw her stuff onto her bed in the dorm room, pacing around the room, the anger boiling up. She stopped, counted to ten and then jumped onto her bed. I'm better than this, she thought. She didn't feel much like going down to dinner and she was working on her homework when there was a knock on her door.

" I'm busy!" Hermione yelled as she stared down at her parchment.

" Too busy for some dinner?" A familiar voice said from the door.

Hermione turned and saw Ron with a plate of food for her. She smiled and sat up as he brought her the food. He sat with her as she ate and talked about the day, what happened during Divination and dinner. Hermione laughed for the first time since the dance and she was grateful for Ron being there.

" You know, I like you much better when were not yelling at each other. You're a really good best friend." Hermione said genuinely.

" Well, I'm just repaying the favor!" Ron said, the tips of his ears red.

After a while, Ron left and Hermione finished up her homework, then settled into her bed. She didn't even remember falling asleep but she did remember the dream as she woke with a start, her face wet with tears and sweat. It was very vivid as she crawled out of bed. She remembered being at the dance, people yelling at her, calling her names. But the thing she remembered the best was what Harry had said to her. She knew in her heart that he would never say that to her but she, nonetheless, tiptoed out of the room and into the common room. Forgetting that she didn't want to talk to Harry, she walked up the boy's stairs and opened his door quietly. She peered in and then slipped inside. Then she crept to his bed and opened the curtains. She crawled onto his bed and sat next to him, whispering his name and shook his shoulder. He woke with a start and then was even more surprised to see Hermione sitting there. He just stared at her, confused.

" What? Is something wrong?" Harry asked, trying not to let emotion show.

" Harry, no matter how bad this is, you would never say that you hate me, would you?" Hermione said, a concerned expression on her face.

" Wh…what? Er…no, I wouldn't. Why?" Harry asked, now fully awake and sitting up fully.

" Okay, sorry. Just promise me that. I couldn't take it. And I still can't believe you!" Hermione whispered, changing her tone.

" What now? I didn't do anything wrong!" Harry whispered loudly, his mouth hanging open.

" You jumped to conclusions! I _didn't_ do anything that either Cho or Draco said I did. And I thought you had more common sense then that!" Hermione raised her voice a little. Harry put of hurried finger to his lips.

" No, don't shush me! I have the right to be mad! You don't trust me!" Hermione whispered as she crawled off the bed. " And now you're off with Cho again. I would've thought you'd have seen through her charade by now. But apparently not."

Hermione walked hurriedly across the room and out the door. Harry followed quickly after, wearing just his boxers. He caught up with her in the common room and grabbed her arm.

" Nothing is going on between Cho and me. She has the idea that I want to get back together with her!" Harry said in a normal voice.

" That's right. Nothing! Just like I did _nothing!_ Yet you still seem to believe I did something horribly wrong that deserves no explanation from the one accused. Yes, that's right. I had no chance to defend myself and you know it. Now if you're through making yourself feel better for your mistakes, I'm going back to bed. I'm sorry I ever woke you up and I'm sorry I wanted to talk to you and I'm sorry I ever thought that Cho was even a little nice. I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to make you feel like less of a man. I'm sorry for everything!" Hermione cried, pulling her arm from Harry's grasp.

Harry just stood there, stunned at her outburst as people started to show up in the common room. Hermione pushed her way through a group of girls gathered around the girl's staircase and stomped up the stairs. Harry turned just as angrily and stormed back up to his room. Ginny, who had been down there, raced up after Hermione. Yet as she entered their room, she saw that Hermione had pulled the curtains around her bed and had turned all the lights out.

"Tomorrow, Hermione. Tomorrow, we are going to talk." Ginny said as she passed Hermione's bed and climbed into hers." And you're not going to get out of it."

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Okay, whew! That was a tough chapter to write. I needed some interaction between Harry and Hermione but it was hard to set it up. I'm still kind of wary on that but too late now. I really hope you like it. And don't worry about Ron. He wasn't trying to get Hermione. He was just being a god best friend. No romance about it. Alright, I think that's all I want to say. That was the fastest I've ever written a chapter before! Wow. Okay….no flames please! Just constructive criticism. Thanks guys! The next Chapter will be up after I get a few more reviews!!!


	6. What May Come

A/N: Alright. The 6th chapter. Wow! They grow up so quickly…hehehe. I really have no idea _how _many chapter there will be. Hmmmm. I'm just writing. So it may be many chapters or it may be not. Just know that there will be more. I won't keep you stranded on this note. No, no, no. Anyway, what do y'all think so far. * giggles incessantly* I'm laughing because that's what reviews are for. I _LOVE_ you guys cause you keep reviewing!!! Reviews are awesome. Thanks guys! Um, yeah. So, I'm still not sure if I like Chapter 5 yet. I mean, I can't take it out but it seems like Hermione is having mood swings….BUT, I do like the interaction between the characters. So I guess it stays, mood swings and all. Anyway, this note is getting boring, I'm sure, so off I go. Enjoy Chapter 6!! And LOOK! The Chapter doesn't start with 'the'. Oh yeah! I'm moving up baby!

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Chapter 6: What May Come 

It was now 4:00 in the morning, a few hours after Hermione irrational decision to wake Harry and practically the whole tower, and Hermione still wasn't asleep. She lay restless in her bed, thinking about what she had yelled at Harry, the way he reacted, and what Ginny had said after Hermione crawled into her curtain-drawn bed. She felt bad for blowing off Ginny but she knew that if she had talked to her, she would have yelled at her also. So her she was, lying sleeplessly in her bed at 4:00 in the morning. 

I'm going to pay for not being able to sleep, Hermione thought. She knew that she would be dead tired by the time her first class was if she didn't sleep. Yet, still she lay, staring at the top of the bed as her mind reeled. She eventually fell asleep around 5:30, though she didn't remember even feeling remotely tired. When Hermione's alarm went off at 7:30, she rolled over groggily and slowly sat up. She wanted to talk to Ginny but she didn't want to discuss her and Harry's present situation, which was an unlucky feeling because their was no way around it. 

Hermione pulled back her curtains and looked over at the other girls. She watched as they got up to start their morning routines and wished that things were back to normal. Hermione let out a loud sigh, getting up and moved into her daily grove of getting ready. After twenty minutes, she was downstairs, sitting by Ron and looking over his homework. She had caught on to Harry and Ron's system a while back but she never said anything and let them think they had pulled the wool over her eyes. She smiled at that thought and Ron caught it.

" Is that a smile? Was it something I wrote? Oh, I know what it is! It's the part when I describe the side-effects, isn't it? I thought that was hard to…" Ron started to babble, as Hermione shook her head.

" No. It was something I was thinking about. Just something that was funny." Hermione interrupted.

"Care to share? You know, I could be a pretty good poet! The morning dew on the green, green grass cannot compare to your…erm…your…" Ron stopped, scrunching up his face as he searched for the right word.

Hermione started to laugh as Ron went through many combinations that could go in the blank of his poem.

" Hair? No, how about eyes. Wait, that makes no sense. Morning dew like your eyes! How about face. And that doesn't make sense either. I give up on this lifestyle and I chose to return to writing essays and watching Quidditch." Ron smiled smugly, waving his arms empathetically. 

Hermione just smiled and looked out across the common room, catching Ginny's eye. Hermione held the look for a second then looked away. She knew that Ginny wasn't going to let her off. She stood up and told Ron she'd be right back and walked over to Ginny, who acted as if she hadn't seen Hermione coming.

" Oh! Hermione! How are you?" Ginny said, a huge grin on her face.

"You know why I'm here and I wanted to tell you that I'm free at lunch, if that's good for you." Hermione said graciously, smiling down at Ginny.

"Oh good! Cause I wasn't going to give you a choice on the matter anyway!" Ginny smirked back up at her, then laughed a little at Hermione's face." I'm just joking with you, Hermione!"

Hermione's face relaxed a little and she nodded then walked away, back to Ron, who was now working on his homework that Hermione had said was wrong. He looked up as she sat back down in the armchair next to him and continued with his work.

"Are you going to talk to Ginny today?" Ron said, not looking up and without the slightest show of emotion on his face.

"Yes, why?" Hermione said as she cocked her head to get a better look at Ron.

"Nothing. It's just good to know that she is. It's a good thing, you know." Ron smirked ever so slightly, still not raising his head.

And with that, he stood and gathered his things.

"We had better get to class or we'll be late!" He said in an air that could've matched Professor McGonagalls.

The morning passed without excitement and as lunch came nearer, Hermione thought of what she would talk about with Ginny. She knew that Ginny would want to know what happened at the dance and what sparked the late night common room fight. But she didn't know how Ginny would react. Obviously, she had talked to Ron because Ron thought it was a good idea for Ginny to become involved. As the bell rang for lunch, Hermione walked to the Great Hall where she had planned to meet Ginny and walked inside. She saw Ginny sitting at the end of their table, talking to Ron, and across from her, Harry. Hermione knew that she would have to go over and she started herself walking, sort of forcing herself to control her urge to say something nasty. She reached the table and tapped Ginny's shoulder.

"Hey there! You wanted to talk?" Hermione said keeping her voice smooth.

"Oh yeah! Let's go then!" Ginny said as she stood up.

Hermione looked at Ron the, without meaning to, looked at Harry. She saw him looking at her, recognizing the want and sorrow in his eyes as the same as hers. But she brushed it aside and looked back at Ginny as they started to walk away.

As soon as they left the Great Hall, Ginny spoke up.

"You do know that Harry is hurting as much as you are right now. Don't think I didn't see the way you two looked at each other. Why don't you just agree that nothing happened with you two and go back to the way things were? I know you know that Harry is smarter than to do anything with Cho and I know that he doesn't believe Malfoy. You guys are just so stubborn!" Ginny cried as she quickened her pace.

Hermione, startled by Ginny's sudden outburst, let the words sink in. In a way, Ginny was right, but she didn't know the gist of the situation that they were currently in.

"Let me tell you what happened first, before you start dishing out advice!" Hermione said, exasperated.

She then began to tell Ginny what happened, starting with the Hogsmead visit and the way Cho acted at Three Broomsticks and ended with the common room fight. Ginny nodded at all the right places and kept quiet, listening intently. As Hermione finished her story, Ginny nodded.

"You know what you have to do Hermione. I don't even have to tell you that this conversation was not needed and that you need to control you feelings and talk to Harry like a civilized person. None of these mood swings! I'm sure that Harry will be relieved and you will have the upper hand on the situation!" Ginny said truthfully.

Hermione looked down at he shoes and thought about what Ginny had just said. She was right and Hermione knew it. But could she talk to Harry. That was the hard part. Hermione wanted to get this all straitened out so she did know the answer.

"Alright. I'll go talk to Harry. I should probably do it now will I have my wits and courage up." Hermione decided.

Ginny smiled and nodded and the two walked back to the Great Hall. They walked over to where Harry and Ron were still sitting and Ron, who knew what was coming, smiled at Hermione as if to give her strength. Hermione breathed in.

" Harry…can I talk to you? I really think we need to." Hermione said in a low voice, not making eyes contact.

When she did look up, she saw Harry was confused. And the she knew that she did have the upper hand and could talk this wherever the conversation went. She smiled at the newfound control as Harry stood and walked to the doors, with her trailing him. And as he turned to wait for her, she knew that today's talk would be for the better.

"Harry, let me tell you my point of view on the night of the dance and what really happened." Hermione started, growing more confident.

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Ohhh! Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger but I like it! J Percy, you guys are great. As I said before, I love your reviews and can't wait to read more! Wow! I already have 71! That is tremendous. And to think, I was wary about putting this on the internet seeing as it's the first time I've ever put any of my works on here. It was scary but you guys helped me do it! Thanks a bunch. And don't worry. I'll try to hurry with the next chapter but not too much or it won't be good! And thanks to returning reviewers! Also to the WOFS BBS. I absolutely love it there! You guys are awesome!


	7. Where there's a will, there's a way

A/N: Here is Chapter 7! I have had questions that I need to answer before I get along with the story so here goes. You, the readers, will find out what Malfoy really said to Harry to make him so mad. You will find out what happens to Cho as well as Malfoy, after, of course, Harry and Hermione "Talk". Am I leaving anything else out? I got many funny reviews that I just started laughing so hard! It seems a lot of you want Cho to die a slow and painful death. Good thing she's not really like this in the books! Anyway, that's it! On to Chapter 7! By the way, this chapter is way short! Read the bottom note for the reason!

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Chapter 7: Where there's a Will, there's a Way.

Hermione drew in her breath, as if expecting an explosion of emotion from either of them after she finished. Harry looked a little stunned but more embarrassed. He had his hand holding up his chin as a pensive expression deepened on his face. Every so often, he would open his mouth as if to say something, but then would close it and shake his head. Finally, he looked Hermione in the eyes.

"I know that I have been a _really_ big git, but hear me out now." Harry started as he pushed a hand through his mussed hair." Okay, Draco told me that you had been 'playing the field', for lack of a better phrase. I didn't believe him at first, thinking that he was just being his normal self and ruining anything happy in my life. Anyway, we go to the dance, have a fantastic first half, then, when I went to go get drinks for us, Draco walks up to me and tells me, 'If you still don't believe me, look at your "girlfriend" now…' So I look, not expecting much, and I see you, surrounded by guys. Now, at that point, I still had doubts but I decide to go over and ask you instead of Malfoy. You know that I'm not that jealous if you talk to other guys, but I was feeling a twinge. So we walk up, your back to us, just in time to hear you say, 'What _about _Harry?'. That hurt and I over-reacted. I mean, the tone of your voice wasn't anything I had ever heard from you. So, I jumped to conclusions, not to mention Malfoy whispering in my ear about how he was right. Yes, I lost my temper. I can say that now. Then there was Cho.."

Harry paused for a moment as he chose his words. Hermione felt her heart jump a little bit because she half expected him to say that he now had rekindled his feelings for her. She lowered her eyes and prepared herself for what was going to be said.

" She just sort of…what's the word….took advantage of the situation. I know that sounds a bit weird but I was hurt and easily impressionable." Harry said the last part as if to make up for what had happened.

" You know, when I talked to Ron a while back, he said that you were hurting as much as I was. I didn't believe him at the time, even though I really wanted to. Was that true. It was, right?" She added, trying not to sound as hopeful as she felt.

Harry squirmed on the bench that they had been sitting on. He fixed his eyes on no particular spot and seemed to be deep in thought. After a minute, he smiled slightly.

"Ron talks too much." Harry said finally, looking back at her.

Hermione, who had been chewing on her lip, smiled at little, following suit. She knew that Harry just told her what she wanted to hear. And she was glad. For the first time in a long while, she felt a warmth blossom in her cheeks and she felt those all too forgotten, yet familiar, butterflies start up again in her stomach. Harry saw her blush and grabbed her hand in his, still fixing his gaze on her face. Hermione nodded and pulled him to her, wrapping him in a hug, that he gladly returned.

" I've been anxious for some time now that this would turn out differently." Hermione confessed into Harry's shoulder as she breathed in the familiar scent.

Harry held her back and sharpened his expression.

" Now that we have worked this out, what are we going to do about Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Chang?" He said, mocking a serious voice.

Hermione laughed and bit her lip again, narrowing her eyes and crinkling her nose.

"Well, Mr. Potter, it seems there is only one thing we _can_ do." Hermione said, innocently.

"And what might that be, lovely lady. You couldn't possibly be developing a wicked side, could you?" Harry acted shocked.

" I was just going to say that we should repay them for all the help they gave us! Give them exactly what they deserve." Hermione grinned.

She stood and, taking Harry by the hand, walked back towards the Great Hall, where Ron and Ginny sat, no doubt worrying over what was going to happen. As she entered the Great Hall, she let go of Harry's hand and walked to Ginny, sat down quietly and side-looked at her. Ginny knew that things had turned out okay and smiled slightly, for she knew that look was only reserved for special occasions.

"Ron, will you pass the peas, please?" Hermione said casually, as Ron gave her a confused look. " I'm very hungary and I need my strength for later, if you know what I mean…" 

Ron pursed his lips and looked at Harry, who was grinning wildly, but trying to hold it in, then at Ginny, who just raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Alright, Hermione. I won't ask now, but I missed something and you need to explain it to me later!" Ron said, nodding his head.

Hermione just smiled, then looked over at Cho, then at Malfoy. Cho had seen them walk in and was looking just slightly so flustered. Hermione waved and grinned.

"Just wait, Cho. You'll get what's coming." Hermione said under her breath, as she turned back to her table. " You and your little dog too…" (A/N: It just came to me, I SWEAR!)

Hermione laughed at her own joke and started to eat.

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Yay! Sorry this is so short. I just haven't had time to write a lot since school started. But the next installment should be sooner since finals will be over soon! YAY! Anyway, tell me what you think! Thanks for reading and I hope you like where it's going so far! Um…yeah. That's it!


	8. A Plan in the making?

A/N: Hey there avid readers! Hehe…all right. Finals are OVER! And I finally have time to write! Yay for all of you that read this, right? Okay, Let me just get on with the story. Sorry this chapter took so long…I've just been loaded down with schoolwork and haven't had much time to write, unfortunately. But thanks for sticking with slow, old me.

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Chapter 8: Who Cares what Cowards think Anyway?

It had been couple hours since Hermione had seen Cho and Malfoy, at the breakfast table, and, frankly, she didn't exactly mind. Harry and she had been hiding out in the corner of the common room, quietly proposing and discussing their ideas. A lot of them had to do with snow since there was such an abundance of it outside the castle. 

" I really don't want to do that Harry…" Hermione trailed off, tilting her head back and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Why not??" Harry asked, disappointed that his "best" idea was turned down flat.

"Because, Harry, if we were to do that, we would have to find a way to get them into the Forbidden Forest, let alone, _we _have to go in and set it up! No! I refuse to go that forest. The last time I was in there, it was not pleasant! Plus, Professor Dumbledore told us in our first year that we weren't aloud to go in and I haven't, with the exception of that detention!" Hermione said, breathing in at last, just to sigh again.

Harry looked dejectedly about the common room as if trying to find another idea that would suddenly come to him when he looked at a certain place. He leaned against the table and rubbed his eyes, before looking again at Hermione. She was chewing on her lip, deep in thought. He smiled unknowingly, glad to be sitting here with Hermione instead of Cho. Suddenly, Hermione shot up, straightening in her chair with a triumphant look, startling Harry, whose elbows slipped and his upper half fell to the table. She disregarded this and set her hands on his shoulders, pulling him back up to face her, bouncing in her seat out of excitement. Harry now looked at her like she was crazy! 

"Spit it out Hermione! What is it?" Harry asked, his eyes opened widely with shock.

" Okay, this may not work but it's worth a try…" Hermione said, her eyes lit up. 

Then she turned around in her chair, her eyes searching around the common room for the familiar red hair. She spotted him, playing chess with Seamus, who, by the look on his face, was losing badly. Then, without warning, Hermione stood and crossed the room, towards the two boys. 

"Ron! I need your help with something." Hermione said quickly, looking at him then at the board, studying the chess pieces.

"Alright, just a moment. I've almost got him" Ron mumbled under his breath, not bothering to look up at Hermione's already annoyed face.

" But I need you _now_, Ron…" Hermione whined, putting out her upper lip in mock naivete as she drew out her last word.

Ron finally moved one of his pieces and sat back, putting his arms behind his head and smirking slightly.

"Check." was all he said.

Seamus groaned and rolled out of his chair, letting his head loll in defeat.

"That's the last time I play with you Weasley!" Seamus declared. " I know you just play with me for the ego-boost and we both know that I would never win in a thousand years! I give up!"

With that, Seamus stumbled off to join Dean over by the fire. It was then that Ron looked up at Hermione. By then, Hermione had looked over her shoulder and smiled at Harry, who was watching expectantly. She then turned to Ron with a more devious face set.

"Harry and I need your help, Ron." Hermione started." Now, I can't say anything now, but if you would come with me, over to Harry, I'll let you in on our little plan."

Ron glanced curiously at Harry, who shrugged, then he looked back at Hermione, who was still smiling, with her eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

"Well?" Hermione said, running her tongue over her lips.

Ron laughed and turned in his chair so that his body was facing Hermione completely now.

"I'm guessing this has to do with a certain gray-haired boy. Would my divination skills be finally working?" Ron asked, knowing full well how Hermione was going to answer, but asking anyway. " No, no. No need to tell me. Can't risk this getting out into the open. You know, the walls have ears and such."

Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed at her best friend. The two then walked back to an anxious Harry, as Hermione started to divulge the much welcome information. Pulling the boys closer to her she started to tell them, in a voice only audible to them.

"The only way the hit them hard is to use misdirection. You know what I mean? We have to do something that makes them think something that couldn't be farther from the truth. And while they are looking left, we are going right. Understand so far?" Hermione looked at their faces, as the realization dawned on their faces.

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Okay, I know this chapter is the shortest yet. And I'm completely sorry for that. As said above, finals and new classes have come over and taken up my time. Next chapter, I promise will be longer than this. Plus, I didn't want to give too much away too soon. Can any of you guess what's going to happen next? Enjoy! Until next time!


	9. Come What May

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A/N: ahh..the ninth chapter to the story. Its interesting how far this story had come! Did you know that this started in a notebook from school that I wrote in a lot while at school? Yeah, that's right. Now, I know that many of you are probably wondering how many chapters there will be total. The truth? I don't know. The characters decide how long this story is going to be. And from what I can tell, it's not over yet. Anyway, finals are over, yes, but I now have to make room for Trig. Yes, Trig. I hate it. Yuck, but alas, here I am. Be patient with me please because I am not able to write as much as I used to. Thanks guys! Oh hey! I just watched Moulin Rouge…that is _the_ BEST movie!

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Chapter 9: "Come What May"

Hermione stared at the boys. They had their faces set deep in thought, as if trying to put together the absurdity of the idea. Looking at each other, they both knew that they wanted to know the same thing. Harry spoke first, though.

"Let me get this straight. You want to…pretend…that we _didn't_ get back together, right? Don't you think that it would be more effective to show them that we are happy now…without them around?" Harry asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Hermione huffed, throwing her hands up.

"No! We want them to think that we are angry with each other still so we can lure them into a false sense of security and then WHAM!" Hermione pounded her fist, making the others jump.

"Wham?" Ron asked, wondering what exactly she meant by wham.

"Yes, Wham!" Hermione repeated, then seeing the looks on their faces she sighed and spoke again. "Wham meaning that we get them back. I don't know exactly what that is yet but it will come in time, right?"

Ron and Harry nodded, finally realizing the whole potential of this plan. 

"Alright, so we have to carry this out soon." Hermione said, looking expectantly at them, as they exchanged eye contact with each other. " Meaning now?"

Harry sighed, knowing that she was set on carrying this through, meaning she was not going to talk to Harry, and she would still act as if she were mad. He didn't like the idea, but it made Hermione happy, so he was willing to try. For her. If Hermione had known that Harry felt that way, maybe then she would have suggested something else, but at the moment, Harry face gave way to no sort of emotion, except a forced smile that convinced Hermione that there was no problem.

Ron, however, saw the expression that pained Harry's face.

"I had better go work on my homework now." Hermione said, standing with her bag. " Bye, guys…"

She looked at Ron and smiled, then at Harry, where her smile faltered a little. She held her gaze longer than she had with Ron, because she knew how painful this would be, not to be able to touch any part of Harry until they carried it out. Then, something took over her. She looked around the emptying common room, then leaned down and kissed Harry, passionately as if it were the last time she would be able to. And for her, it felt that way. She smiled, inched away from his face.

"No one was looking.."

Then she caught sight of Ron, a deeper shade of red than usual.

"Except him. But he won't tell." She motioned towards Ron. Ron relaxed a little, enough to act casually. Hermione juts smiled and brushed Harry's cheek with her hand. As she removed her hand from his face, Harry grabbed it and kissed her fingertips.

"When your lonely, just remember that I love you and will always love you, no matter what." He then curled up her fingers and kissed her knuckles. Placing her closed hand on his chest, right above his heart, he held his gaze. " I'm here forever."

Hermione broke the gaze first, trying to control her emotions, but letting them get the better of her. She let a tear run down her cheek. Then she aggressively wiped it and blinked a few times. She squeezed Harry's hand back and took a deep breath. Then she nodded and glanced at Ron.

" You're going to need to help me now." Hermione said as Ron stood, putting an arm around her as she walked away, willing herself not to look back. But she did anyway, and she saw Harry push back his messy hair from his eyes as he stood, going the opposite direction.

"It's just for a little while.." Hermione muttered to herself.

"What?" Ron said, concerned.

"Hm?" Hermione said distractedly," Oh, nothing Ron. Well, here I go…" 

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Eep. That was fun! Poor Harry and Hermione. A little dramatic but hey, that's what fan fiction is all about! Hope you liked it. This was longer and gave a little more away. You like the plan? Hey, I want you guys to give me some ideas on what you want to happen next! Now, your probably thinking, "She doesn't know what to do???" I DOOO!! I just want to see if your perspective is close to mine. Maybe I'll input some of the ideas…Don't worry, I'll credit those ideas!!


	10. The Show must Go On*REVISED*

A/N: hmm…. not much to say. Just getting caught up in all that has been going on recently. Sorry I'm taking so long to put up chapters. I really don't mean to. So forgive me about that and the recent short-ness of the last two chapters! Yikes, those were short. Well, here goes! ****THERE IS A CHANGE AT THE BOTTOM** look for the 3 stars and read from there if you have already read this chapter…**

Chapter 10: On With the Show

The next few days passed without hitch, but not without hurt. Every time Harry and Hermione passed each-other, trying not to glance _too_ longingly at the other without the rest knowing, was painful. Hermione had been sitting with Ron is classes they all had together, while Harry sat with Seamus and Dean. Malfoy, seemingly pleased with the effects since the dance, just sat around with a smirk on his face, taking in the absolute wretchedness of it all, floating around, convinced that Harry would never look at Hermione again. Draco had convinced himself that if Harry ditched Hermione for Cho, he would have a chance to figure out what Hermione was about. Even though he had called her mudblood for years, he wanted to see what all the fuss was about with her. He had heard numerous boys in their grade, talking about if Harry ever broke up with her, they would be there to "pick up the pieces". A number of younger students, hearing about the Famous Harry Potter and his girlfriend, Hermione Granger, idolized the couple, taking after Colin Creevy. And although Draco would never admit to being jealous but he did want to feel a bit of the limelight. 

Another day passed and Hermione was beginning to regret her hasty decision to "separate", for the good of the overall effect. She had seen Cho walking with Harry and felt pangs of jealousy kicking in. Now that she knew that Harry would never go out with Cho again, it did ease the pain to be almost bearable but she still wanted to just push Cho out of their lives for good. One day, she was particularly feeling brutal and she was sure she let everyone know. But Ron was getting most of it as he had chosen an ill time to ask for homework help.

"I _told_ you, Ron…you have to swish _then_ flick and only after that can you vary the movement!" Hermione growled as Ron messed up the wand order, yet again." How many times have we gone over this? How many times are we going to have to go over it again? Can't you…just…."

Hermione sighed and dropped her head into her hands, breathing deeply to stop the onset of words about to bust loose from her mouth. Ron, used to the way Hermione had been because of the recent events, wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I _am_ pretty hopeless, aren't I?" He said with a lop-sided grin. "I guess I'll have to join the other the other squibs and live my life in shame, for I will never again, be able to swish and flick in public."

Ron finished the last sentence gallantly, as if he were going off to war and may never return. Hermione peeked through her arms and smiled a little. Ron raised his eyebrows and proceeded to snuffle, putting on his best "hurt" look that he could muster.

" I must be a real handful, huh? I really can't control my emotions! I need to work on that…" Hermione said as she finally raised her head from her lap. " We had better get to Potions soon or Snape will have our heads!"

They set off for the dungeons and readied themselves for the hour-long torture that was Potions class. By the time that 50 minutes had passed, Ron was ready to pass out from sheer boredom and Hermione was close to running over to Harry, on the other side of the room, just to kiss him once. Finally, class had ended and the class started to file out the doors.

"I'll catch up with you later, Ron. I want to ask a question about this new sleeping draught." Hermione said as she packed up her bag and Ron waited patiently for her.

"Are you sure?" He asked, picking up his bag as well.

Hermione nodded and started up to the front of the classroom. Ron left the class, promising to save her a seat in the Great Hall. Professor Snape, sneering slightly that Hermione had a question, answered her questions but that was it. Finally Hermione had had enough of the coldness coming from him and she politely thanked him for the help. She stepped outside the classroom and walked up the hallway, in the direction of the entrance hall. She was rubbing her eyes and shifting her bag when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps behind her. Not really paying attention to who was behind her, she kept walking. After all, this was a hallway and other students walked it all the time. Not to mention Snape would be coming up soon. But when she heard whispering voices, she turned, but didn't see anyone there.

Hermione shook her head and looked back again, still seeing nothing but flickering darkness.

"Quit scaring yourself, Hermione." She spoke aloud, trying to convince herself that there was nothing to be worried about. 

She was in a school that had the greatest headmaster ever and she should feel safe. But the unsettling feeling just seemed to grow as she felt a presence behind her. She stopped and started to turn around. She felt a hand grab her roughly on the shoulders and pull her into an empty classroom. When she heard the door shut, she was pushed into the center of the room and she looked around her, hurriedly. Yet, the windowless room provided little more than dark shadows that melted into the walls. She squinted and tried to make out the body shape. But it wasn't long before she heard an unmistakable voice.

"Well, well mudblood. Are we walking all alone around the big, scary castle?" The cold voice drawled.

"Draco, if you think your scaring me, it's not working. Would you light something so I can see." Hermione breathed angrily, fumbling around the darkness, feeling for her wand that she had dropped sometime during the struggle. "Your such a git, Malfoy. What do you think your doing?"

Hermione heard him laugh as he lit some lanterns that hung around the room. She rolled her eyes and watched as he continued around the room.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione said, trying to control her temper. "I'm going to leave…"

Draco advanced toward her and stopped a short length from her. She could make out his features, which were showing not much emotion, except a cold smile that played on his face.

"I just want a guarantee." He spoke smoothly, as if he had practiced saying it.

"A guarantee?" Hermione said, disbelief and confusion in her voice.

**__**

***"Yes. I want to make sure that you're not going to mess things up for me, in the long run. You see, Cho wants Harry and I want…well, let me put it simply…_you_. That usually doesn't work out. And that's why I decided to help her get him." Draco said, staring at Hermione the whole time.

"You want Cho… to go out with Harry so you can…what…I don't see the ingenious in the plan. What makes you think that I will let it happen?" Hermione said, trying to uncover what was going to go down.

"You don't know it yet, Granger? I know that Harry doesn't want to go out with Cho. It's obvious to everyone but her. So she'll put all her energy into getting him back. But there's a hitch. As long as you're around and Harry wants you, Cho is going to be jealous and fight for him. You see, she only wants what she can't have. So I have to make sure she gets what she wants." Draco smiled at his genius.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and took in what she had just heard.

" That will never work." She sneered. " Besides, how are _you_ going to control _me_?" 

Draco smiled coldly again and put a hand on her shoulder, which Hermione brushed off immediately.

"That's the best part of this plan!"

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A/N: You like? Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger. It's a good one though, you have to admit. Anyway, enjoy! Next one will come soon! Thanks to all the pushing I got to move along. Seriously, it did encourage me a lot to get this up quicker!


	11. What I Really Want to Say*REVISED*

A/N: Hey there. It's been a while since I've written but I have had a lot to do. Sincerely, I really did. And I'm sorry to keep you all waiting. On with the chapter! ***New Revised Chapter 11***

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Chapter 11: What I really want to say

Ron had been walking around the castle for the past hour, calling out for Hermione after she didn't show in the Great Hall. He had a feeling that something was wrong because she always showed up. Except for that time in their first year, when she had overheard Ron put her down, she didn't show up for dinner and Ron felt terrible. Since then, he felt it was his duty to pick up the pieces whenever Hermione couldn't pick them up herself. Turning the corner, he had the choice to go down the stairs towards the dungeons or go up, towards the towers. Since he didn't really want to see Professor Trelawney outside of her class, he chose the first and started to trek down the stairs, occasionally calling out her name again.

Harry had wanted to come with Ron but Ron decided against it, seeing as there would probably be some sort of emotional dam that would burst if they had the chance to get near each other. So, instead, Harry went off the Great Hall and saved two seats next to him, anxiously waiting for the return of his friend and his girlfriend, not caring how it looked if Hermione sat next to him.

Ron slowed when he heard voices down the hall from where he stood. One, barely audible, was a male's voice which was quiet enough to be intimidating and the other, very feminine, was a bit louder and more demanding, but it had a fearful tone in it. Ron, deciding to follow his instincts, started towards the voices and walked about 5 minutes before he could hear what they were saying.

"Don't get him involved, you little ferret! I could just as easily speak to Dumbledore or McGonagall, and you know how much trouble you would be in so _don't_ you dare threaten me like that." The female said icily.

Ron could hear feet shuffling and heard a noticeably loud sigh. Creeping closer, he peered into the crack of the door where the voices were coming from and tried to make out who was who. By now, he had enough evidence that it was Hermione and Malfoy speaking but in order to get a good jump on Malfoy, he would have to recognize which one he was. Ron pushed the door open a little more as the heated conversation continued.

"If I were you, I'd watch my tongue. You don't want to get involved with the son of someone so…powerful." Draco sneered, giving away his position.

Ron stood still for just a moment as he debated whether or not to make definite a detention. He decided against just grabbing Malfoy and wiping the condescending tone off his face and out of his voice. He quietly opened the door and waited for Malfoy to notice. Hermione eyes flickered toward the doorway and saw Ron standing in it, illuminated by light, looking somewhat like a superhero. Draco, noticing the light filtering in, scowled and grumbled incoherently as he pushed Hermione back from his grasp. She stumbled back and fell to the ground, dazed by the allusion of fantasy and the reality of her situation. Something clicked in her mind as she hit the ground and she quickly recovered and stood her ground, walking over to Ron and feeling a lot better now that she wasn't alone. Draco pushed pass Ron as Ron whispered a few threats just above a whisper and barely audible. After Draco left, Hermione raised her hands to her face and slowly dropped back to the ground, letting emotion take over as she scrunched up her face with anger, resentment and dejection.

" I _hate_ the way he is!" Hermione said through her hands, as she slid her feet out in front of her. "He is such a spoiled git! You know what he said to me? He told me that if I try and get back together with Harry, he could do something to my family or one of you guys. He was so set on being in control that he would go that far, Ron. He would hurt someone just to get what he wanted…"

As Hermione looked up at Ron, he could see the ache in her eyes.

" I hate not being able to just go talk to Harry and I know that I put this upon myself. Did you know that we used to sneak up to the astronomy tower and watched the stars until the sun rose sometimes? I miss that and it's my fault we don't do that anymore. I'm alone now and I made it that way. I'm tired of feeling so …pathetic…" Hermione spoke, not really to Ron but just to confirm her choices to herself. 

Ron kneeled beside her and looked straight into her eyes. They were dry but lamented.

"Let's go find Harry." Ron whispered to her, not breaking the steady gaze he held on her face.

Hermione nodded, not wanting to deny anymore that she needed to be around Harry. And Ron.

They slowly walked down the hall and up the steps, Ron's arm around her as he half lead her to the Great Hall. As they entered the room, Hermione breathed deeply and searched for Harry. But Harry saw her first and walked over to them, a questionable look on his face. Hermione abandoned all reason and wrapped Harry in her arms, clinging tightly to his collar as she breathed in his scent and closed her eyes, knowing that it was right. Harry was surprised but closed his arms around her also, ready to give up the stupid plan. He held her closely, wanting this moment to last for the rest of his life. By then, Ron had moved to the table and sat with the rest of the students rapt with the open show of long awaited affection. Harry ran his hands through the ends of her hair, taking in the feel on Hermione against him, like she was made to be this close to him and for the first time, he was absolutely sure that he loved Hermione. Just then, Hermione opened her eyes and realized the hall was quiet. Parvati and Lavender had their hands to their mouths, a smile on their lips. Ron was sitting back, smiling at her. Then she looked at the Slytherin table, with Draco scathing face looking back at her. She looked away and over to Ravenclaw, only to see Cho defeated face, slightly abashed. This was when Hermione knew she had really overcome the trial that was her relationship with Harry and she loved him.

Harry turned his head slightly and kissed Hermione's cheek, whispering, "I love you."

Hermione closed her eyes again and smiled, moving her mouth to his ear and whispering, "I love you too."

They finally broke their contact and the gravity of what just happened set in upon both of them as they looked around the hall and then to the floor. Hermione smiled as she sheepishly stared at the floor. Harry wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her out of the hall, Ron following closely behind them. As they exited, the din arose again but everyone who remained in the Hall spoke of one thing. Even the teachers were smiling and talking about how the reconciliation was perfect and it was about time. Even Snape was genuinely speechless, as he was surprised at the open display of affection in front of so many.

Back outside the Great Hall, Harry, Ron and Hermione were happily updating what had been happening the past week.

Ron grinned as he watched Harry and Hermione act like a proper couple, the way it was supposed to be.

"Now we just need to get Cho and Malfoy back properly." Ron said, smiling devilishly. " Let Harry and I think up an idea, though, Hermione" 

Ron stared pointedly at Hermione, who just rolled her eyes.

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Okay, revised chapter 11. Good, no? Anyway, there will be some more chapters, don't worry. I'm on Spring Break right now so I have revised Chapter 10 and 11 and maybe I'll get Chapter 12 finished. I will work as much as I can. Thanks for those who pushed me in the right direction and you know who you are. Just read my reviews. Very inspiring!

Homestretch

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	12. Does He Ever Get the Girl? *NEW*

A/N: Hello there…yet again! Yes…another chapter! I won't keep you…Sorry it took so long! I really am…I have been applying to colleges and taking tests and stuff…forgive me! 

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Chapter 12: Does He Ever Get the Girl?

The sun once again shone brightly through the castle windows as Hermione woke in her room, surrounded by her blankets. But this time, it was different. She sat up and glanced about the tidy room, thinking about nothing but everything all the same. The first thought that came to her head was the best. She was with Harry. The idea struck her as sort of odd since the past week had been a living nightmare, thanks to her "brilliance". But now that everything was together, she felt like something else was in the way, just waiting to do some impressing damage. Shaking the thought from her head, she stood and stretched, scratching Crookshanks as she passed him on the way to her bureau. She pulled it open, the wind playing lightly upon her hair, and let her hands wander over her clothes. Finally, she pulled out her school uniform and quickly dressed, smoothing the material over her stomach. She grabbed her cloak and pulled her hair up messily, sweeping across the room and out of the door. Classes didn't start for another hour so she left the almost empty common room and walking slowly down to breakfast, humming slightly as she walked.

The Great Hall was almost empty, except for a few first years, some older Hufflepuffs finishing homework and Dumbledore, quietly enjoying that morning's Daily Prophet. He looked up as she walked in and smiled slightly as she looked his way. Sitting near the middle of the house table, she helped herself to a piece of toast and some eggs and casually looked up at the ceiling, watching the clouds move. Somehow, the eggs tasted better than before and the toast was just right. Everything was finally falling into place and nothing could ruin her good mood. She smiled to herself and finished off the last off her toast. As she made her way back to the common room, she ran into a few other students that had started down, who, as they passed, gave her pitying looks. A little confused, she picked up the pace. More students passed and she came upon a few Slytherins, standing by the portrait of the fat lady, who was hanging open. She was not in her portrait as Hermione pushed her way through the crowd. Just as she reached the hole into her common room, Malfoy pushed his way out, stopping to scowl at her and she paused, worried now. 

She pushed pass Malfoy and ran into the common room, now full of many people. Looking over the crowd, she found Harry and Ron, each with cuts and bruises scattered across their face and arms, and Hermione was sure, on other places also. Harry had just bent down to pick up his broken glasses from the floor as Ron tentatively touched his swollen eye.

"What _happened_??" Hermione said as she rushed over.

The tow boy's heads snapped up, registering shock and a little disappointment because they knew that Hermione would be angry.

"Well…er…" Harry started, not looking Hermione in the face, afraid to see the look of shame. 

But he did look and saw concern, not anger.

"Malfoy came in here, looking for a fight. I guess he waited until someone opened the picture and then he came in, shouting our names. Ron and I ran down, hearing the commotion and…he just…jumped at us. We fought him off as best we could, but Crabbe and Goyle joined in. That's where the injuries come in…" Harry explained, wincing at just the thought.

" Where did the Fat Lady go?" Hermione asked, trying to understand all this new information that she had just heard.

"I dunno…"Ron said, surprised." I guess she went to Dumbledore or something…"

"Well…what was Malfoy saying…" Hermione asked, examining their wounds and repairing Harry's glasses with a spell.

"He just was shouting about how we were going to be sorry and that we had better watch our backs. Something about his reputation…" Harry said, gingerly touching his nose.

Hermione face went limp, as felt the tears coming. She didn't know why she was crying. Perhaps the fact that she now knew Malfoy was serious but she closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold of the onslaught of tears. Harry and Ron studied her face and Harry grabbed Hermione, rubbing her back. Ron patted her head, and a smile came across his lips.

"You know, Malfoy and his goons got the worst of it. Harry and I put up quite a fight!" Ron smirked.

Hermione started to laugh into Harry's shoulder, her threatening tears finally subsiding as she released the tension through her laugh.

"It'll be alright. I'm sure Dumbledore knows by now and things will be resolved." Ron nodded as he said this. " And a few well-placed curses wouldn't hurt either!"

Hermione slapped Ron shoulder playfully, but he sucked in his breath, grabbing his arm. She winced for him and hurriedly apologized. Ron smiled through the pain, playing the tough man.

"Let's go find Dumbledore and figure out what to do…" Harry said, putting his arm around Hermione again and followed Ron out the portrait, as students gazed after, pretty confused as to why that just happened.

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I know this is extremely short but I figured something is better than nothing, right? As you read in the a/n, I have been overloaded with future careers and stuff. I will try to work on this as much as I can but it may take a bit for the next chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience…I will do my best to update as soon as possible! Keep Reading!

Homestretch


	13. Authors Note

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I don't think that anyone realizes that the 12th chapter is new so um…it is! Check it out cause it's not the authors note, like this….And since it has caused confusion…this will stay and you all will know when the real chapter comes out because it will be labeled as the 14th…that's the best I can think of… Thanks guys!

Homestretch


	14. Hands Down*REVISED*

A/N: hey you guys! You are great for putting up with me! I have been swamped with end of the year stuff, reports and the like, so I'm sorry this has been held back for such a long time. Hope you enjoy! The title is the name of a Dashboard Confessional song that I absolutely _love_, so if you are the type to research, check out the song for an inside on what it means! Cookies if you do! And since this is the revised version, due to a certain review that, though I'm sure was well meant, was a bit harsh( there were better ways of putting it)…I have decided to take a look over my work and fix some things, add some things…

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Chapter 14: Hands Down

The following week was filled with stories of the fight in the common room, from both those that were actually there to those that had heard of it second hand, like the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. The stories being passed around were many, each more outrageous than the next. But each lead back to the "jealous fit of rage that had overtaken Draco Malfoy" and the "heroic bout of courage that had been issued from Harry and Ron". They particularly enjoyed the one about them fighting off Malfoy and his cronies, plus a large amount of other Slytherins, taking them all, one after the other and coming out with just a few scratches. But alas, that story could not withstand because the boys had come out with more than a few scratches.

The three had gone to see Dumbledore, but as always, his advice had a deeper meaning that would take awhile for them to decipher. Hermione had come up with "Don't judge a book by it's cover", in which Ron made some crack about it being about books. A short tiff followed but things soon regained normalcy, complete with natural wise cracks, nothing meant behind them. So it seems as though they were on their own, Dumbledore confident in knowing something the others didn't see in Malfoy. Matters would be taken into their own hands, not that they weren't before.

After a while, things had cooled down, but whispers still followed them through the hallways. It greatly reminded Harry of his first week or so at Hogwarts, the way people gawked and spoke as if he wasn't standing right there. And it also brought up bad memories of his second year, when everyone in the school was against him. But this time, the majority of the school was with him and said words of encouragement to him or Hermione. It was a bit annoying but nonetheless still meaning good. Of course, the Slytherins had a different perspective on things. But then, when did they not?

The days that followed didn't have much of a showing of the ferret himself. It seemed as though he had taken to hiding or maybe he was plotting his next "attack". Either way, he was not seen often outside classes. In the Great Hall, he sat at the opposite end of wherever Hermione, Harry and Ron sat, no matter where they were. If they didn't know better, they would have thought he was hiding from them. But the glares he threw their direction said otherwise.

Malfoy was covered with a few well-placed white bandages, matching the pale skin and hair of the boy and it was hard to take his glares seriously. As an afterthought, Malfoy had spread a few of his own stories about the fight, all of which were untrue, to say the least.

Late afternoon, in the Great Hall, Hermione, Harry and Ron were sitting in their usual place at the Gryffindor table, and rolling their eyes at Malfoy's attempts to make them uncomfortable. It was a tireless effort on Malfoy's part since he thought he was doing something that intimidated people, and therefore, he "worked his magic" freely.

"I'm going to go over there!" Harry announced, throwing his fork down with a clang after catching another glimpse of Malfoy down the Slytherin table. "Come on Hermione…we are going to get this straightened out right now. I'm tired of Malfoy thinking he has the upper hand since Dumbledore hasn't spoken to him and I'm sure Snapes given him encouragement instead of reprimanding him. "

He pulled her up and out of the bench, not forcefully, just quickly, eager to get this over with. But Hermione wasn't ready to go over there. She wasn't over her last encounter with him and she was ready to fight the next encounter since it was, in her mind, unnecessary. 

"No, I really don't want to, Harry" Hermione said, pulling back on her hand, which Harry held in a secure but gentle grasp. "I don't fell like talking to him anytime soon. He has done nothing but make faces and if that's how he wants to act, far from me to stop him!"

It was quite a funny thing to see. Hermione leaning as far back as she could, trying to break the grip that Harry had on her hand, while her feet were pretty far apart and her behind stuck out. Harry, on the other hand, had a smile creeping across his face as he realized how funny the situation was and as he looked at Ron to reassure his guesses, saw that he was laughing out loud with many others. Finally, Harry pulled her up, so he could let go (he wasn't going to let her fall!) and gave her his best "I need you to" look. But Hermione had seen that look many times in the course of their relationship, though it was usually reserved for when he need help with his homework where she would end up doing it for him, and knew better than to fall for it. 

"Oh no!" Hermione declared, shaking her head furiously. "You will not get me with that face! I know it too well!"

Harry stuck out his bottom lip, trying to suppress a smile and curved his eyebrows in a sad gesture.

"You know what happened last time I talked to him?" Hermione said defiantly, placing her hands on her hips. " The outcome was not good! Well…the outcome after the first outcome was good but…wait! I don't want to and you're not going to get me to!"

She declared the last part like a child throwing a tantrum, which was very unlike Hermione. But no one seemed to take notice of the tone of her voice because soon after, Hermione and Harry were walking towards the far end of the Slytherin table. As they walked towards Malfoy, who looked just as surly as Hermione was but had a bit of a shocked look on his face as he saw them approach, Hermione dragged her feet, slowing down the inevitable as much as possible.

"Malfoy…" Harry started, "I don't want to do this as much as I know you don't, but being the better man, " he said this with emphasis on the word "better", putting his chin up a little farther" I want to just get this over with."

Crabbe and Goyle, who had been sneering the whole time Harry spoke, put their best menacing faces forward but the two ignored them. Hermione wouldn't look anywhere near Malfoy and took to looking up at the ceiling, at the clouds passing by, trying to go through all her arithmacy formulas for a test next week.

"What do you _want_, hero? Are you going to get rid of that Mudblood yet…I'm sure we can work something out" Malfoy drawled in a cold voice, not addressing Hermione.

But before Harry had time to respond, before anyone could react, and right after the words left Malfoy's lips, Hermione hit Malfoy upside the face, leaving a red mark where her hand had hit. For a second, no one reacted, no one moved, except Hermione, who was stalking away from the offensive party, her hands balled in tight fists as she marched to the exit.

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I hope this is better now….Wow! I'm sorry that my update was way overdue! I graduate in 14 days! So I'm sorry if I'm a little slow but eventually, the story will be finished! I promise!

Homestretch


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